Wu Dan took the sword in a daze, but hesitated. has been with Kangxi for a long time, and this rough man already has a heart. Although Guo Xiu said that he had committed corruption and bribery cases in the past, he had also heard about the fact that he had broken his fingers and washed the floor and changed his shame. Today's incident, he didn't think about the truth behind him, but it was obviously caused by Xiao Lizi lawlessly bullying the people outside. Kangxi will be angry and kill people this time, who knows what will happen when he calms down? He glanced at Li Dequan, who was full of smugness, and stepped forward to fight Guo Xiu, Guo Xiu shook his arms and broke free, kowtowed and said in a low voice: "Thank you!" He let out a long sigh and got up and left.

The compound was quiet, dozens of eyes stared at the angry Kangxi, and everyone's hearts were up. Gao Shiqi had been thinking for a long time, and had already made up his mind, looked at Tianhao with his hands behind his back and sighed, and muttered: "Nai, Nai...... The day does not shine on my sincerity! ”

"Huh?"

"The slave said it's too cheap, this Guo Xiu." Gao Shiqi's eyes were gloomy, and he said slowly, "In a moment, a corrupt official who had committed stolen goods turned out to be a famous minister in the annals of history...... It's cheap! ”

Kangxi was stunned, thought for a while, and stomped into the house. The three ministers of the upper study exchanged glances, Suo Etu called Su Lun, and said in a low voice: "You go out and tell Wu Dan, and start slowly, wait a while." ”

Kangxi entered the inner room with a calm face, and saw Ah Xiu and Han Liu sitting and standing, their faces were pale, obviously this scene in the courtyard scared them dumbfounded. Seeing that Kangxi sat down without saying a word, Han Liu hurriedly made a cup of tea and brought it over, and said with a smile: "The tea is hot, the master will stop and eat again." ”

"Hmm." Kangxi gasped heavily, Fang turned the color, patted his head and muttered: "Yes, it's too hot to burn - this godboy Hanchen, he will risk death at every turn, sell his reputation and reputation, and he can really make people angry!" Ah Xiu took the opportunity to persuade: "Criticizing dragon scales is naturally painful. We listened in the house, this person was so stubborn that he was a little out of line, but the master used a whip at the beginning, and he seemed to be in a hurry......" Kangxi took a sip of tea, looked out the window a little blankly, seemed to have nothing to do, and suddenly felt an inexplicable emptiness. After a while, he suddenly asked in a daze: "Han Liu, do you have any troubles in your little family?" ”

Han Liu smiled: "The size is the same, and everyone has a difficult scripture." Poor people are fighting for a bite to eat, the children are noisy, crying and shouting, and the adults can't do anything, just like we did in the Shunzhi period of the Han family. The seven sisters-in-law and eight aunts of the rich family argue for the high and the low, and the eldest wife and concubine are jealous, which makes the chickens and dogs restless, and there are some. In a large family, the children are filial piety and harmony in their faces, and they all think about the family business of their ancestors. It is difficult to have a good son who can inherit the portal, but there is a kind of trouble, such a son is often a strong seed, and there is a way to be 'stubborn and undefeated'! ”

"Stubborn undefeated!" Kangxi got up according to the case, and suddenly thought about what the "teacher" Su Malagu said when he first ascended to the pole, "The family has a bad son, and the family is not defeated; The country has a reprimand, and the country will not die". He sneered uneasily, didn't dare to think about it anymore, stepped out of the door a few steps, saw that everyone was still standing silently, his lips trembled a few times, and he asked with difficulty: "What about Wudan?" Person...... Killed? ”

Suo Etu hurriedly took a step forward, bowed down and said with a smile: "Still waiting for the decree outside, the slave has the courage to order Wudan to suspend the execution......" "Okay!" Kangxi said loudly: "Quickly pass Guo Xiu in!" Wu Dan heard it outside, and said to Guo Xiu with a smile: "The master is calm, call you!" If you get the lottery, don't forget to show mercy to the old martial arts! ”

Guo Xiu's hair was scattered, his forehead was blue, and he returned to the patio with heavy steps, not knowing because of grief and anger, and his burning eyes were filled with tears. He didn't look at Kangxi, only took two steps forward, as if he had exhausted his strength, knelt down heavily, and said softly: "Long live the minister, what's the matter?" Kangxi's heart was also churning terribly, looking at this little official from Wupintang, he couldn't find a word for a while, and only said after a while: "In your opinion, this matter should be ...... How? Guo Xiu kowtowed and cried: "The minister has committed the crime of great disrespect today, please ask the emperor to send a decree to clarify the canonical punishment." According to the law of the Qing Dynasty, the three eunuchs committed the crime of defrauding the king, and they should also abandon the city to warn the world, and ask the emperor to send it together. ”

No one expected Guo Xiu to answer like this, and he wanted to die with Li Dequan and them! Li Dequan kept gritting his teeth and glaring at him, and when he heard this, he suddenly trembled. The three of them knelt down together with dead faces, and were about to say mercy, when Kangxi broke off in disgust: "I didn't ask you, you kneel back!" Kangxi thought for a while, waved his hand gloomily, and sighed: "Guo Xiu, talk to me in the hall." As he spoke, he entered the main hall. There are dozens of pairs of eyes in the yard, you look at me, I look at you, no one speaks, only Hai Dongqing occasionally "quacks" twice on the shelf.

It was already dusk, the sunset was colorful, the clouds were shining, and a touch of sunset shone obliquely into the hall through the Daifuku door. Kangxi and Guo Xiu sat and knelt for a long time. Kangxi said in a heavy tone: "You kneel closer." Guo Xiu hurriedly walked a few steps on his knees, approached Kangxi's knees, and listened to Kangxi say again: "What you played today, you can't say that there is no reason, but the words are too much, to be fair, am I really the king of the Emperor?" In front of so many people, how can I have dignity? ”

"Back to the emperor!" Seeing that Kangxi was so sincere, Guo Xiu's heart trembled, tears burst out of his eyes, and he replied in a choked voice, "Those who slander me are enemies, and those who ridicule me are relatives. Emphasizing the man and the man, emphasizing the inside and the outside, is really a bad government, and the ministers dare not speak according to the truth. Kangxi paused for a moment and said with a smile: "The Manchus say that I am too accustomed to the Han people, and you, the Han people, say that I am heavy and light on the Hans, it is really not easy to be a man!" The clear water pond does not raise fish, so I don't need to mention this anymore. I want to ask you, you said that the Han people are still not satisfied with this dynasty, is this true? Eighteen years later, I see a lot better! Guo Xiu kowtowed and said: "It is a grand event for Kangxi to open erudition and Confucianism in the eighteenth year, but only more than 180 people are taken, how can he win the hearts of the remnants of the world!" The emperor's efforts have begun to take shape, and people with lofty ideals dare not advocate whether it is true, and if it is said that the people are convinced, the ministers dare not echo it. ”

Kangxi nodded and listened, leaned over and said, "What have you heard?" Play it straight. Guo Xiu said: "The minister is degraded by sin, the most likely to hear this kind of language, the ministry of the Taoist Wuhan minister, often take the analogy between the bad government of this dynasty and the former Ming Dynasty, the dissatisfaction, overflowing words, and more old writings, reminiscing about the former Ming Dynasty, vainly dividing the boundaries of Huayi and Manchu and Han, and even those who still worship Zhen Zhengshuo, how can they be taken lightly? That is, like Wu Meicun's poem before his death, have you ever heard it? "Wu Meicun is a poet in the Chongzhen period, and he entered the dynasty and won the hope of famous people. Kangxi couldn't help but be stunned, and hurriedly asked, "What is written?" Can you recite it? ”

"The minister can't carry it all," Guo Xiu kowtowed, "On that day, Meicun came out of this dynasty, and Shangqiu Hou Chaozong sent a letter to stop it. There is a poem in Meicun that 'death and life are always negative Hou Yingnuo, and the vulgar pepper syrup is full of tears'. There is "the old man's generosity and strange festivals, for that year, Shen chanted constantly, and stole life in the grass" - this is still a person who should be erudite and Confucian, and the rest such as Zhejiang Lu Liuliang's "Song of the Tomb of Qian", Gu Yanwu's "Hanging Qin" poem, and Huang Keshi's "Crossing Nanyang" words, are even more borrowed from words, and the meaning is profound......"

"Alas!" Kangxi couldn't help but sigh deeply. Since he ascended the throne, he has made many efforts to reconcile between Huayi, Manchu and Han, and he thought that the erudite and Confucian Ke subdued Yimin in one fell swoop, but there were still people who ...... While he was looking up and pondering, he heard Guo Xiu say: "Naturally, compared to Kangxi eighteen years ago, the situation is much better, and the lord does not have to worry about the words of the ministers. The minister thinks that the righteousness of our dynasty must not be told to the world. On the day the army entered the customs, the temple of the Ming Dynasty no longer exists, and my world is really in the hands of Li Zicheng, this truth should be awarded to the school palace, so that everyone knows it......" said, seeing Kangxi standing up, he stopped. Kangxi waved his hand excitedly: "Okay...... Keep talking, keep talking—I'm not used to sitting and thinking about things......"

“…… Be! Guo Xiu said, "The people of the world don't know this truth, and they still think that the Qing Dynasty is seizing the Zhu family and standing on their own, which is very worrying!" The minister thought that he should follow the example of the former Ming Dynasty to honor Confucius and Mencius, and set up the shrine of the sages and ten philosophers to commend civilization; Visit the true descendants of Emperor Zhu, worship the ancestral hall of the former Ming Dynasty; Sacrifice the tomb of the Ming Emperor, announce the subjects, know that our dynasty is done for the revenge of the Ming, and repair the official history of the Ming Dynasty to show that the destruction of the country can not be restored......"

Kangxi listened to it with radiant energy, and couldn't help but glance at Guo Xiu with appreciation: Such a talent, how did Mingzhu get it, he didn't seem to know at all!

"As for the third prince of Zhu and his ilk," Guo Xiu said, "the original traitors who plotted against the people, should be strictly arrested by the Dali Temple and the Criminal Department, and the national code should be corrected by the end of the public - in this way, why worry about the instability of the people's hearts and the instability of the world?" ”

Kangxi listened quietly, nodded and smiled, sat back on the chair solemnly, and shouted outside: "Suo Etu, a few of you come in, ask Li Dequan and the three of you to come too, and listen to my fate!" ”

The minister of the upper study and Wu Dan and other guards and eunuchs, because they did not follow the holy order, have been standing in place, seeing that the sky is getting dark, Kangxi and Guo Xiuwu are talking freely in the house, and they are clueless, when they hear the summons, Wu Dan is busy ordering people to hold the lamp. Li Dequan listened to Kangxi's tone, knew that something was wrong, and when he came in, he twisted Hai Dongqing's hind legs hard, and Hai Dongqing screamed in pain, which made Kangxi's eyes jump.

"Gao Shiqi Grass Edict!" Kangxi calmly dictated, "Guo Xiu is guilty of Yan Zhizhi, although there are many disrespectful words, but the heart of the country's public loyalty is as bright as the moon. I don't add to the excesses of what I said-Guo Xiu made up for it...... The post of the right capital of the Imperial Palace! ”

The right capital of the Imperial History of the Metropolitan Procuratorate is the deputy chief of the six departments and fifteen departments of the Imperial Inspectorate, which not only has the power of independent impeachment, but also allows "rumors of things" - even if the impeachment is not true, it will not sit back, and the rank is from the first rank. Guo Xiu is a Taoist who has been reformed, and he was from the fifth grade, and suddenly jumped to the minister of the Taiwan Cabinet, such a promotion has never been heard of since the founding of the country. Mingzhu and Suo Etu couldn't help but glance at each other, not knowing what Guo Xiu said in the house, and suddenly became a saint. Gao Shiqi was also shocked, looked up at Kangxi, and hurriedly wrote again.

“…… With a single eye, he waited in the same class with the six ministers. Kangxi thought while dictating, "The eunuch Li Dequan and the other three violated the law, assaulted officials without permission, roared in court, and lied to deceive the king, and should be beheaded immediately——"

Before the words were finished, Li Dequan and the three of them were so frightened that they couldn't possess their bodies, and they kowtowed to the ground like garlic and begged for mercy. Kangxi smiled and said: "You have violated the law of the country, it is useless to ask for me." Guo Yushi impeached you, and I can only act according to the law...... As the saying goes, it is better to ask for others than for yourself, and this has to be done by Guo Xiu withdrawing the original recital! When the three of them heard this, they hurriedly turned around and came over, glanced at Guo Xiu with teary eyes, and begged for mercy on their prostrates. Suo Etu knew Kangxi's intentions, and when he saw that Guo Xiu was angry, he smiled and said: "Lord Guo, look at my thin noodles, put your hands away, and forgive these three killers!" These cheap things are not sensible, but they are pitiful, the emperor's Hai Dongqing, you have to wait for Li Dequan! ”

Guo Xiu was stunned for a moment, and looked around at a loss, until Suo Etu interceded on his behalf, Fang came to his senses, moved his body and stammered: "Thanks...... The minister dared to ......" calmed down before he spoke more fluently, "The minister is not ignorant of lifting, please ask the emperor to take back his order." The ministers wear the body of sin, the merit without size, and in a word, receive this great grace, I am afraid that the ministers will be happy, and ask for the Holy Wisdom! As for Li Dequan and the others, the minister has already used the cane to punish him in Sanhe Ya. Who has no father? Who doesn't want to be flattered by the monarch? There is also Suo Zhongtang interceding, and the minister is exempted from the crime of bullying the king. Mingzhu lowered his head and thought about it, stepped forward and bowed down and said: "Your Majesty, Guo Xiu's performance is reasonable, and after Guo Xiu's meritorious service, he should be rewarded again, so that the internal and external ministers can be less discussed." Suo Etu also said: "If you rise too high all of a sudden, I'm afraid that people will be unconvinced, and it will not be good for Guo Xiu." The imperial history of the capital is a national weapon, so lightly granted, I am afraid that the emperor will be deposed as he pleases. Please the emperor sanctified. ”

"Then let's give the Overseer Imperial History first!" Kangxi got up with a smile and said, "Actually, as long as the investigation is real, what's the harm in upgrading a few more levels?" Mingzhu, you were just a small guard at the beginning, and you moved seven levels in a row in one day, and you were promoted to the deputy capital of Yushi. Gao Shiqi, what do you say? Gao Shiqi smiled: "That's it." A person like Guo Xiu, who is guilty of criticism and disregards life and death, does have the style of ancient martyrs and the morality of imperial history, and the slaves are convinced! "I'm not afraid that you won't be convinced, this person is not below you, and his courage is much greater than yours!" Kangxi got up with a smile and said, "I'm really tired today, I have to rest." You and Guo Xiu think about it, draw up a few decrees for his article, and after returning to Beijing, I saw Xiong Cixu, and it was agreed by the upper study to use the seal! Well...... In addition, he was instructed to give Shi Lang the details of the preparations, and if the preparations were completed, he could go to the sea to fight - I was in a hurry to tour the south! ”

The summer of the 22nd year of Kangxi was rainy in the north and windy in the south. The east wind came from the South Pacific, blowing thousands of waves and white waves. After handing over ten refined red-coated cannons and 100,000 rockets, Laita received the holy decree, took a large group of concubines and children, and returned to Beijing on an official ship. Only Yao Qisheng, the governor of the main battle faction, and Shi Lang, the commander of the naval division, were left in Fuzhou City, and the atmosphere of the war immediately became thick. In March, when Kangxi received an edict urging him to prepare for war, Shi Lang ordered 300 gunboats to be transferred to Haikou. Wei Dongting promptly transferred 5,000 jars of Jiangnan Shaojiu, 2,000 pigs, 500 live sheep and 300,000 stone white rice to the army. Shi Lang's tense heart felt slightly relaxed. For half a month, I heard the wailing of pigs and sheep in each camp.

Yao Qisheng received a new 500,000 salary from the Nanjing Customs Governor's Office, and he kept beating his horse to the Chinese army to see Shi Lang...... The chief soldier Chen Python took ten sergeants who had won the drills, wearing red and flowers to show the three armies. The soldiers crowded and sandwiched one after another by the arrowway, triumphant about victory, and unconvinced of defeat, shouting "Tomorrow again!" Yao Qisheng couldn't help but secretly rejoice. Entering the official hall, because he saw Shi Lang staring at the sea map alone and muttering, Yao Qisheng couldn't help laughing and said: "Brother Ren, the morale is very high, you are really worthy of the famous general of the sailor, and you have a good way of governing the army!" ”

"Tianxin is tired of separation, and the military heart comes from Tianxin." Shi Lang gave up his seat and said with a slight smile, "Thanks to Brother Qisheng's earnest teachings, the sergeants have all understood the principle of 'peace by war, and unification by war'." Shi Lang's eyes turned faintly, and he said, "But ...... There are still many people who are afraid of water wars! You only saw one side, but you didn't know what was going on in the secret - there were many people who carved their names and places of origin with bricks and buried them in the sandy ground. ”

Yao Qisheng listened silently, and a word burst out of his mouth gloomily: "Kill!" Shi Lang snorted and said, "This alone can't be done." When he first arrived in Fujian, he had killed more than a dozen deserters, but there were still people who cut off their arms and legs, or even committed suicide - he would rather let you kill on land than go to sea! It can be seen that killing people is not a method. The day before yesterday, I was patrolling the camp, and I bumped into a man who buried bricks, and not only did not punish him, but also praised him! Yao Qisheng laughed and said: "What words do you use to praise such a death-fearing ghost?" ”

Shi Lang compared the map of the sea area with his hand, and said without raising his head: "I praise him for having the heart of death, sacrificing his life, and deciding to go east to Qiongdao and make meritorious contributions to the country...... Yao Qisheng couldn't help laughing. "Don't laugh, this is human affection, not necessarily afraid of death. For several years, the training was in the inland rivers and lakes, and no one had really gone to the sea to fight, so he was not sure. ”

The two of them were talking, but they saw Lan Li striding in with his sword, and said, "The two military gates, Lord Li Guangdi, a scholar of the Wenhua Palace, have come to see you by order!" ”

I had already seen this news in Di Bao yesterday, and I had thought that Li Guangdi would not be able to arrive in Fuzhou in three or five days, but I did not expect it to come so quickly. Shi Lang couldn't help but glance at Yao Qisheng in surprise, Yao Qisheng smiled: "Li Anxi's bet is all on you, so he is naturally anxious." Young people's temperament, what is there to guess: if this battle is fought, the assistant ministers in the study will not be able to run! Shi Lang also smiled and said: "In the end, you scholars really have a good understanding - set off the cannon and open the middle door to welcome the angel!" With that, the two of them came out together.

Li Guang said to Sheng'an, holding the edict in his hand and entering, he was dressed in a robe of nine pythons and five claws, decorated with brocade chicken patches, a shiny braid under the top of the flowering coral dragged straight to the waist, the foundation soap boots stepped on the sound of the middle hall, straight to the middle hall with a straight face, stood still in the south, looked at Shi Lang and said: "Shi Lang takes the order!" ”

"Minister, Shi Lang respectfully listens to the oracle!"

Li Guangdi nodded, unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and read:

Crossing the sea to suppress the traitors in Taiwan has been tired of issuing edicts, and the urgency of the period is not due to the importance of the relationship, so it is inconvenient to make a remote decision. Today, Li Guangdi went to announce his decree and march the army eastward as soon as possible, so as not to be absent from the army for a long time. With the title of Governor of Shi Lang's Right Capital. Chin this!

"Shane!" Shi Lang bowed his head deeply.

After a few words of greeting, Li Guangdi, Shi Lang and Yao Qisheng sat down separately. Although the horses galloped fast for days and hurried in the starry night, Li Guangdi was not tired at all, only took a few sips of tea, and said: "The holy oracle is very clear, the students are in a hurry, just because the emperor is a little anxious, Lord Shi has said that he will cross the sea with the camera, but there is still no news, so the special students came to check, I don't know what the general plans to do?" ”

"My lord," Shi Lang heard the edict, but he felt faintly unhappy in his heart, somehow, he suspected that the proud Shangshu opposite him had said something in front of the emperor, and said with a dry laugh, "If the saint is urged to be crowned with the post of governor because the subordinate officials are unable to cross the sea, the subordinate officials of this title will not dare to accept it." The soldiers are fierce and dangerous, and there must be a way to win before they can enter the army, how can they be hasty? Since Lang was instructed, he has been thinking about only one thing, never acting rashly for personal enmity, and not letting the emperor's benevolence of the common people in Taiwan go down the drain, how dare he support the army and not advance and raise the enemy for self-respect? This sentence hit his chest, Li Guangdi's face couldn't help but blush slightly, this edict was indeed drafted by him, and now after listening to Shi Lang's words, it seems that he spends the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain. As a famous Confucian in Taoism, his self-esteem could not help but be stabbed. After a long time, Li Guang said: "General Shi, don't misunderstand! The army under the command of the general is all brought from the north, plus the local naval division in Fujian, the emperor may not be able to unify the command, so he specially added this letter, this is Zhu Pi, you can understand it at a glance. Yao Qisheng stroked his long beard and said: "It's still thoughtful, and it is indeed much easier to command the whole army as the governor of the right capital." Please rest assured, I am a Fujian soldier and horse, even me, listen to Lord Shi's dispatch! ”

"The training was originally for war," Li Guangdi frowned and muttered, "It has been delayed for so long, and this is not possible." Last winter, the emperor deliberately ordered you to enter the army, but you haven't moved, I don't know why? "I'm waiting!" Shi Lang said, "The time is not ripe, how can you rush to the sea?" Li Guangdi leaned over and asked with a smile, "What are you waiting for, what are you waiting for?" ”

Seeing Li Guangdi's uncomfortable face, Shi Lang's heart couldn't help sinking, his fingers tapped on the back of his hand, and he said slowly: "Wait for the wind!" Master Li must know that the boat is windy! ”

"Wind!" Li Guangdi said with a smile, "The students are from Fujian, and there are Shuo in winter, smoke in summer, gold in autumn, and harmony in spring. The students came all the way, and it was windy every day, so why did the general refuse to enter the army? Yao Qisheng glanced at Shi Lang, he advocated the use of the north wind, but when he saw that Li Guang got off the car, he was in a hurry to use the troops, he didn't know how difficult it was to use the troops, his heart was slightly angry, and he said coldly: "Fighting is not Yongyue Yinfeng, if you are not careful, tens of thousands of living beings will be ruined, not all winds can be used, please Jinqing brother to see!" Li Guangdi came to supervise the battle as an envoy, and as soon as he got off the horse, he felt that both of them were awkward, and he was unhappy, pondered for a moment, took a breath, and said with a smile: "The white-faced scholar of Guangdi does not understand military affairs, but he wants to ask for advice, what is the most suitable wind to send troops?" ”

"South Wind!" Shi Lang said, "I'm waiting for the south wind, without the south wind, I can't go to the sea!" ”

Li Guangdi laughed and said, "In this case, I have to wait!" If the south wind blows when you go to the sea, and the east wind blows in the middle of the way, and you have to go back to the teacher, wouldn't it be child's play? ”

Shi Lang didn't answer immediately, looked Li Guangdi up and down, and said after a while: "Because the general doesn't know astronomy, geography, or weather, it's a mediocre general!" Master Li, you are in favor of the recovery of Taiwan, and I admire you very much for your farsightedness and foresight in preparing food and salary for me over the past few years. The Holy Lord appointed you to oversee the army, this is nothing to say, if like you today, Shi Lang is willing to retreat and go to the sea under the command of the adult, how about it? Hearing that Shi Lang was going to pick a pick, Li Guangdi calmed down. Kangxi's original intention was to let him come to inspect as a messenger, and he did not have the name of the overseer, which was a crime of violating the order and could not be deserved. He is a well-educated Confucian student, and the former Ming Tai overseer constrained the generals, I don't know how many military planes he missed, how could he laugh and talk about it for eternity because of his momentary mood? Thinking of this, Li Guangdi had already changed his smiling face, brushed his robe and sighed: "Brother Lang, the words are heavy, and my brother can't bear it." I, the messenger, have come to the shore to beat the drums and cheer, and I have no intention of acting on behalf of me, so I ask the general to forgive me for my painstaking efforts. ”

Yao Qisheng listened to it and felt that Li Guangdi's words were very sincere, and he was not as domineering as when he first sat down. He and Chen Menglei are friends, and they originally despised Li Guangdi a little, and wanted Shi Lang, a stubborn man, to touch it, but when he heard this, he felt that the matter was important, so he came out and explained: "Everyone is a colleague, and they all have the same thoughts." Jin Qing is under a holy order, so he naturally wants to urge the use of soldiers, and Lao Shi is also afraid that if there is a mistake, it will delay the emperor's major affairs! Jin Qing came from afar, the wind and dust, let's not talk about this matter anymore, come - make wine, wash the dust for Lord Qincha! ”